


Masquerade

by LandonKade



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Caleb is a language student, College AU, Fluff, M/M, Molly is a cheerleader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 15:48:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18034562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LandonKade/pseuds/LandonKade
Summary: Jester convinces Caleb to leave his flat and join the themed End of Exam party. He meets a very familiar Tiefling at the Masquerade.





	Masquerade

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Critical Role fanfiction, so I hope I've done it a fraction of justice.

This was absurd. Friday nights were supposed to be spent at home with his books and his cat. Not going to a campus party to celebrate the end of the semester’s exams. Instead, Jester had somehow convinced him to leave his flat. Nott had said she would also be coming to this party, at least, but that didn’t make this escapade any less stressful for Caleb. He didn’t need to celebrate anything. He had gotten top marks, as always, because he studied and hadn’t left anything to luck. Just because these students had left everything to the will of the gods didn’t mean everything was suddenly a party when it went well. 

With a huff, Caleb adjusted his coat over his suit. Jester had insisted, as well as threatened, that if he didn’t wear what she picked out for him, she would personally see to rearranging all of his bookshelves and draw penises in all the margins of each book. While Caleb was sure this was a hollow threat, maybe, he didn’t want to take the chance that she might do exactly that. After all, it was only a week into the school year when Jester had gone into the Law Studies section of the campus library and rearranged most of the books there. She had also defaced some of those books with her drawings. No one had been able to find physical proof it was her. The cameras had all gone to static about the time it happened and no one had been able to figure out why. However, the student body was very aware of Jester’s abilities, and there wasn’t a soul who didn’t know that most pranks of that level were Jester’s doing. 

As such, Caleb wasn’t risking his books. He had gone shopping with Jester, let her find him what she called a “very handsome” suit, and she had even gone out of her way to pick a very fancy masquerade mask. Why this end of exam party had needed a theme, Caleb still didn’t know, but he didn’t argue the point. So now, he was in the very handsome suit that fit him a little too well, some shiny shoes Jester had said would look far better than his beaten up old loafers that looked like they belonged to an old man, with his masquerade mask tucked into a pocket of his coat. It would be far too strange to wear it as he walked across campus, though Caleb did see quite a few other students heading toward the party wearing their masks. 

The building the masquerade was being held in was actually in the basement of the Art Department. They had what had most likely been a conference room at what time there with plenty of space for a dance, and it seemed there were plenty of students lingering in the halls chatting or flirting. Caleb didn’t linger on any of them. Instead, he made his way into the first classroom on the left. One of the instructors was allowing its use as a coat room, and there was paper taped to the window to one side of the door that read “Coat Room”. So Caleb found a coat rack in the corner where very few others had placed their coats and retrieved his black and gold mask from his coat pocket. It felt strange to pull the band over his head and to have something obscuring his face this way, but, once he was starting to feel more used to it, he started to find he didn’t mind it so much. 

His vision wasn’t impaired, and the corners of the mask curved around his temples so he didn’t have bat wings to either side of his head, which he had appreciated when Jester offered this mask to him. Her other choices had been quite flamboyant, several with a bat wing affect, and she had gone through them all with him until they both agreed that this one would be fine. Jester had also been proud of the fact that, once they had found a simple black suit, she had been able to convince a tailor to match it to the mask with a few gold swirls in the lapels and the cuffs. Caleb had to wonder if it hadn’t been too much, but Jester had been so excited. He hadn’t had the heart to say no. 

Admittedly, despite the hint of anonymity the mask gave him and the new suit no one would recognize him in aside from Jester and Nott., Caleb still found himself to be very nervous. He considered for a full three minutes whether or not to grab his coat and head home to cuddle his cat. Instead, Caleb heaved a very stiff sigh, and began to make his way to the stairwell, running his hand through his red hair to get some of the nervous energy out of his bones as he passed a pair of students he recognized who had taken their masks off to make out. Neither seemed to notice him as he moved down the next stairwell. 

The conference room that had been converted into a dance floor wasn’t far after that. There were more students in the basement hallway, likely meandering out here for the sake of being able to hear one another’s conversation. Most of them were wearing all manner of masks. A few had simply opted for Phantom of the Opera masks that hid half of their face instead of their eyes. Caleb remembered seeing a fair few of those while Jester had been finding masks for him. “Those are too boring, Caleb! We need one that will make you mysterious! And hot! Definitely hot!” The memory actually proved to calm him somewhat, and Caleb continued moving through the hallway with only half a glance at the students he passed by. 

The conference room itself was dimly lit. There was someone playing DJ at a table at one end of the long room and speakers had been set up at each of the corners of the room so everyone could hear the music. Caleb also spotted strings of fairy lights around the double doors as he stepped into the room. Most likely placed there so people could find the exit a little easier. The lights were also strung up at the edges of the floor and ceiling. 

There was no sign of Jester, and Nott could have been there already, but she was so small that Caleb doubted he would see her. He felt his anxiety begin to build within his chest as he looked for someone, anyone, he might recognize. The first person his eyes settled on was Yasha standing next to a grouping of chairs. All of the chairs there were empty, and some people passed a few glances at the large woman as they passed her but most kept their distance, it seemed. She was, indeed, wearing a mask colored in purple and silver, but it was no mystery who she was. Jester had become friends with her nearer the beginning of the school year, and, by proxy, Caleb had met her not long after that. Nevertheless, Yasha was focused on the sports side of the college whereas Caleb was focused in languages, so their paths almost never crossed at school. Caleb usually saw her when she visited with Jester. 

They met eyes at almost the same time. Two awkward people who couldn’t recognize most of the students in the room but who had most likely been convinced against their wishes to come. Caleb moved quickly to Yasha’s side and breathed a sigh of relief. People tended to give Yasha a wide birth, so if Caleb stood with her, they also gave him a fairly wide berth. 

“You look… nice.” Yasha’s compliment was stiff. She was trying, but she was also unsure how to proceed. 

“ _Danke_. You, too. Did Jester make you come?” Caleb felt himself fidgeting with his cuffs. 

With a shake of her head, Yasha looked back out into the crowd and grimaced when she still didn’t recognize any of their friends. “Another friend of mine got to me first, but I think I need some air. I’ve been in here awhile. Do you… Do you want to come?” 

Caleb appreciated the gesture she was attempting and forced himself to stop fidgeting. “No, no… _Danke_ … No… I should stay a few minutes. I promised Jester.” 

Looking skeptical, Yasha gave a nod and made her way out of the room as unhurried as she could force herself to be. Which left Caleb alone again, but he certainly couldn’t blame Yasha. He did watch her go for a moment, thoroughly considering leaving with her and waiting for Jester or Nott to find him. It would be worth the scolding to have someone to come back into the party with. 

As Caleb turned back to face the room, however, he found himself startled. He didn’t do the best job of hiding it. A very flamboyant purple Tiefling had found his way over to Caleb and was standing before him grinning, his mask a riot of rainbow colors with fake red jewels hanging from the corners that matched his eyes. His suit was a patchwork of patterns and colors that somehow flattered his shape and skin color, as well, with more jewelry attaching his horns to his ears. More jewelry adorned his tail, Caleb noticed as it twitched behind him. 

“Didn’t mean to startle you, Darling. I was just wondering if such a pretty thing would mind dancing with me.” The Tiefling offered his hand to Caleb who looked from it and back up to his face, confused. This person could not have been asking him, could he?

“Uh, well, I… _Wie bitte_?” 

The stranger chuckled and retrieved his hand. “I don’t speak that language, unfortunately. Care to translate?” 

Feeling his face and ears begin to burn, Caleb cleared his throat quickly. “Excuse me. Just, what did you say?” 

Another laugh. “I was asking you to dance. You don’t have to agree, but I don’t like seeing attractive people standing off to the side. Figured I’d ask so you could have some fun.” 

“Oh. Uh… _Nein_ … That is…! I don’t mind…” Caleb found himself enjoying the sound of the stranger’s laughter as another bout graced his ears, but he forced those thoughts aside. 

The Tiefling offered his hand again, and, with only a moment’s hesitation, Caleb took a calming breath as well as the other man’s hand. The strange Tiefling grinned wide and pulled Caleb out to a clear spot. It was that moment that Caleb realized he had very minimal dancing experience and this was likely not going to end well. 

Thankful for the dim lighting, Caleb swallowed the lump in his throat and nervously leaned in closer to his new companion. “I, uh, have a confession… I don’t really… Well, I don’t actually dance…” The laugh that confession elicited right beside Caleb’s ear darkened the color building in his face and he was rather glad his head was down so it wasn’t terrible noticeable. 

“Darling, I assure you, no one will notice how good or bad your dancing is. They’re all too busy with their own partners or panicking over their lackluster abilities at it. So you can focus on me instead.” The stranger squeezed Caleb’s hand, reminding him that he still had it, and took hold of his free hand with his own in that moment. “Just have fun, and don’t think about anyone else.” 

As much as Caleb’s nerves didn’t believe this person, Caleb couldn’t help being coaxed in by that grin. Before Caleb could worry any further, he was pulled into a dance where he could barely be aware of the movements he was making. He let himself be led, and Caleb quickly lost track of time. He wasn’t sure how long the two danced for before a very familiar blue Tiefling found them. Caleb was out of breath but there was a smile on his face he couldn’t seem to shake off. The purple Tiefling grinned unabashedly, but he also seemed rather out of breath. 

“Caleb! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! I thought you would be out in the hallways somewhere!” Jester had insisted Caleb join her when she went out to find the perfect dress for the masquerade, so even if she hadn’t made herself very obvious, Caleb would have recognized her in her pink and white dress and pink mask. 

Unsure of what to say in response to Jester’s surprise, Caleb nodded at her outfit instead. “You look very lovely, Jester.” 

Easily distracted, Jester preened. “I know, right! I’m hot stuff, and I am ready to dance the night away with Fjord if he ever bothers to show up, but enough about that. Who is this, Caleb?” Jester looked Caleb’s dance partner up and down suspiciously, clearly positioning herself beside Caleb. 

“Well, we hadn’t actually gotten around to introducing ourselves...”

“You’re welcome to call me Molly.” The stranger, Molly, interrupted before Jester could, and he released one of Caleb’s hands so he could give a dramatic bow to Jester. “It’s a pleasure.” Molly’s eyes focused on Caleb specifically, which had his face burning again. Thankfully, Jester wasn’t looking at Caleb to notice it. 

Jester was, however, studying the new Tiefling very closely. “You seem really familiar...” 

“I get that a lot, actually. Did you need your friend back? I admit I’ve been hogging him for awhile, but, if you need him back, I suppose I could return him.” 

“No, No! You boys keep dancing. I still have to find a few more people, anyway, and Caleb would be useless for that with his terrible human vision.” 

“My vision is fine, Jes-” 

“No, Caleb, it’s so bad. Mine is so much better, and I know I can find everyone on my own. You stay and have fun with Molly.” Jester gave a sweet smile and flitted away before Caleb could argue any further, but stopped long enough to look back and grin. “By the way, you look very handsome, Caleb!”

Caleb found himself at a loss as he watched her make her way through the crowd with an ease that he knew he would never possess before he felt his still captured hand being squeezed by Molly. “You have a good friend in that one, Caleb, was it?” 

Nervous, Caleb reached up to rub at the back of his neck but couldn’t help smiling. “ _Ja._ On both counts.” 

Molly returned the smile as a slower song came up on the speakers. “Do you want a break?” 

As much as Caleb was tempted to say yes, he found a “ _Nein._ ” slipping passed his lips instead. Without hesitation, Molly placed his newly freed hand on Caleb’s waist, pausing there.

“Is this all right?” When Caleb gave a nod, he took a slow step until Caleb followed. Before long, they were dancing slowly to the music, much calmer than the faster beats and rhythms from earlier. 

Jester didn’t return to Caleb during the slow dancing, and Caleb was too focused on Molly and dancing with him to pay any mind to the rest of the room until the slow song ended and something faster came up. More people came in for that song and Caleb began to take more notice of the crowded nature of the dance floor as someone bumped into Caleb’s back hard enough to knock him into Molly and almost send the both of them to the floor. Fortunately, Molly caught him and helped steady him even as Caleb began to feel his anxiety buzzing under his skin. 

“I think I need a moment.” While they weren’t holding hands anymore, Caleb was clutching at the front of Molly’s shirt as he steadied himself. Molly didn’t seem to mind. In fact, Caleb felt Molly’s arms tighten around him for an instant before they loosened. Caleb caught himself missing the warmth and immediately looked down at his shoes to hide the new flush in his skin. 

“I’ll go with you, if you don’t mind.” Molly almost sounded unsure, but when Caleb looked up into his face, he couldn’t tell what expression was hidden under his mask. 

“Please?” There was no hiding the blushing Caleb was doing now. The word had just slipped out, but, before he could try to back pedal, Molly’s face lit up with a grin. 

The pair escaped the converted conference room after a few moments of weaving through the student body. The doors shut behind them and muffled the music and sound within the room well enough that Caleb could actually hear his own thoughts again. They were screaming at him that this was too good to be true. That no one would find him attractive enough to dance with the way Molly had. With a newly clear head, Caleb realized they had been dancing for the better part of two hours. Why would anyone want to be with him for that long? Jester and Nott were outliers in this equation. He still couldn’t figure out what they saw in him as their friend, but he could only recall meeting Molly that night when he asked Caleb to dance. What could have possibly made Molly want to dance with him, of all people, for the last two hours when there had been more than a few candidates he could have picked from? 

While Caleb’s thoughts spiraled, Molly was leading him to a quiet end of the basement hallway. Caleb didn’t realize Molly was sitting him down in an empty chair until he was already seated and Molly was taking the unoccupied seat beside him. “You okay?” 

Caleb opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Instead, he tried to steady his breathing. Molly studied Caleb’s face but said nothing, waited for Caleb to be ready to speak, and occasionally looked back over his shoulder to be certain no one was coming down the hallway toward them before his focus returned to his companion. 

After a few long moments of breathing and getting his heart rate under control, Caleb finally met Molly’s gaze and gave a little, self-conscious nod. “ _Danke_. I’m okay now.”

Some of the tension in Molly’s shoulders seemed to relax. “Good, good. I was afraid I misread something and made you panic in there.” 

“No, No! You were wonderful. There were just a lot of people, and I hadn’t really noticed how many while we were dancing, so it was just a little much for me. That’s all. You really didn’t have to come with me, though. I hate to think I ruined your night.” 

“You have done nothing but make my night better, Caleb. I’m glad I asked you to dance.” 

His name on the strange Tiefling’s lips was the sound his brain settled on. Caleb could admit only to himself that he liked it, or else he was certain his ears would combust. “Thank you, Molly.”

With a shrug, Molly smiled. “You’re welcome, Caleb. Do you know what you want to do now?”

“I think it’s about time I started heading home...” As much fun as the masquerade had surprisingly been so far, Caleb didn’t want to press his luck. He also didn’t want to make any more of a fool of himself than he might have already. 

“Can I walk you back to the coat room then?” Molly sounded so hopeful, his tail twitching in the air behind him as he waited for Caleb’s response. There was no judgment. There was no moment when Molly tried to convince Caleb to stay, and Caleb found that, instead of being offended or anxious over that, he was rather pleased. After all, Molly wasn’t just saying goodbye and leaving or trying to pressure him to prolong his night. Instead, he wanted to accompany Caleb as far as he could without crossing any boundaries. 

Caleb smiled and gave a quick nod, wondering for an instant if Molly might change his mind. “I would like that very much.” 

The pair returned to their feet then, and they slowly made their way back to the other end of the hallway. They had to pass between a handful of students taking a break from the dancing either to talk or makeout, and there was a moment where Caleb thought Molly might get ahead of him. Without thinking he reached forward and took hold of Molly’s hand. Caleb proceeded to panic internally about whether or not Molly would want him to take his hand, whether or not they had held hands throughout most of their dancing that night. Thankfully, before Caleb could panic himself into letting go, Molly squeezed Caleb’s hands and glanced back at him to give him a wink and a smile that felt like it hit Caleb in the chest. 

They found the stairs mostly unoccupied but neither man tried to let go of the other until they were back at the coat room. Only then did Caleb begrudgingly let go and step inside to find his old coat. It didn’t look like anyone had done anything to it, though Caleb didn’t have anything in the pockets anyone might make an attempt to steal. His biggest worry had actually been someone being too drunk to realize it wasn’t theirs and heading home with it. Instead, it was right where Caleb had left it, though he did have to dig a little to find it underneath everyone else’s coats. Molly actually had to help Caleb lift a few to get at it. Neither found the task troublesome somehow, and there were a few giggled failures as they nearly knocked down the coat rack entirely. 

“Success!” Molly grinned widely as they freed Caleb’s coat and held it out to him triumphantly. 

Molly’s excitement was infectious, and Caleb couldn’t help laughing as he retrieved the coat. “Thank you, Molly.” 

“Don’t mention it.” The exuberance faded in Molly just a little and his tail nervously twitched behind him as Caleb pulled his coat on. “I hope you had fun tonight, Caleb.” 

“I did! I definitely did!” Caleb clamped his mouth shut then, his response a bit louder than he had intended it to be. Molly also seemed surprised, but he was smiling again, the nerves seemingly gone as he moved forward to straighten the collar of Caleb’s coat for him. 

“I’m glad.” There was a pause. The pair were very close now. Caleb caught himself studying Molly’s lips and then, in a fit of embarrassment as he realized what he was doing, quickly looking away. He did not think he needed to see whether or not Molly had noticed where his focus was. His thoughts, fortunately, seemed to be elsewhere. “I’ll see you around, Caleb.” Molly took a step back and put distance between them as he motioned to the classroom door for Caleb to go first. Caleb obliged. 

As he made his way out of the room and then out the double doors into the cold, Molly gently took hold of Caleb’s wrist to stop his departure. The grip was loose enough that even Caleb could have freed his arm with little effort. Caleb did double check that it was Molly before he relaxed entirely, but the moment of tension passed quickly. “Was there something else, Molly?” 

“I just wanted to say that your friend, Jester, she was right.” Molly’s face may have darkened, but the light on the building only made it harder to see for sure. “Have a good night, Caleb.” With that, Molly ran back into the building and disappeared into a crowd of students. 

There were a few long seconds where Caleb could only stare after him, uncertain. After that, he turned and started his walk back across campus toward his flat. He reached up to run his hand over his face and only remembered then that his mask was still on. As Caleb pulled it off and gently tucked it away, Caleb remembered what Jester had said to him right before running off to leave him with the pretty Tiefling. 

_“’By the way, you look very handsome, Caleb!’”_

Caleb was thankful for the cold air to stifle the heat bleeding into his ears and neck just then. 

******

Days passed quietly after the masquerade. The holiday break was quickly approaching, too, and Caleb hadn’t seen Molly since the party. Caleb had, however, seen quite a few people the day after the masquerade who had been very hung over. A few of them had actually decided to show up for the next day of classes, and it had been very clear they were miserable. There had also been an over abundance of empty seats, and Caleb had to wonder if any of them belonged to Molly, though he knew that was… ridiculous. 

The third day after the masquerade, Jester found Caleb holing up in his flat with his cat, bursting in with the spare key he had given her. “Caleb! Come out with me! Yasha is practicing with Beau, and I need you to come and help me laugh at Beau being a disaster lesbian.” 

While Caleb was used to Jester bursting in at any moment of the day, as though she had to use her spare key at any possible moment she was allowed, he was confused by her demand. “What? Isn’t it the cheerleaders turn to practice today?” 

“Yes but they’re sharing the field. Beau is playing with Yasha’s team next semester, and the coach asked Yasha to get Beau ready, and Beau has had a huge crush on Yasha since school started, so we need to support Beau but also laugh at her.” 

“Laugh at her?” 

With an exaggerated sigh, Jester walked over to Caleb on his couch and picked Frumpkin up out of Caleb’s arms to snuggle him. “Caleb, I know you haven’t met Beau a lot, but I promise you, you’re going to either laugh or feel sorry for her watching her trying to talk to Yasha.” 

Uncertain about this situation, Caleb decided agreeing with Jester was probably for the best, so he pushed himself up from the couch, placed the book he had been reading on his coffee table, and went to check on Nott. She had come home around dawn the day after the masquerade, and she had not left her bed until the next night. With the exams over, Nott had been trying to catch up on her sleep, as she hadn’t slept much at all beforehand. Caleb found her sleeping again, in fact, and chose not to wake her. Instead, he went back out to his living room to find Jester holding Caleb’s coat up for him. It didn’t appear that Caleb was going to be able to talk Jester out of this escapade, so he put his coat on. Caleb did fetch the book he had been reading from his coffee table and found a pocket it would fit into in his coat. 

Jester didn’t allow Caleb to linger after that. She grabbed his arm and tugged him out of the door of his flat. She likely would have dragged him the whole way had she not been distracted talking about how handsome Fjord had been at the masquerade. Caleb had a feeling she would ask about Molly before much longer, but, thankfully, they reached the field before she had the chance. Apparently, they were early and Yasha hadn’t arrived yet, but Beau was there already. Jester saw her first, waving her arms as she ran over to her. Caleb didn’t run, but he did make his way over to the girls. Beau seemed… nervous. 

“You’re early, Beau! When did you get here?” 

“Oh, I’ve only been here like, an hour?” Beau gave an anxious laugh as Jester and Caleb gave each other a look. “Just practicing on my own for awhile, y’know?” 

Jester mouthed the words, “Disaster Lesbian” at Caleb, and Caleb suddenly knew what Jester meant. 

“I am sure you’ll do fine, Beau.” Caleb tried, and Beau gave a nod and breathed deep. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do fine.” 

“I’m going to go sit up in the stadium whenever you want to join me, Jester.” Caleb somehow didn’t think he was going to be much help here, and he was ready to escape. Jester stayed with Beau for a little longer, though, which gave Caleb a moment to find a place at the bottom of the stadium where he could see the field easily. 

It wasn’t much longer before Jester returned, waving a hand between Caleb and the book he had removed from his coat pocket while he waited for her. “What are you reading, Caleb?” 

“It is a book about Ancient Sylvan.” Caleb had to admire Jester as she looked over his shoulder and tried to read some of the text that was written in the dead language, but her face contorted in such a way that he had to think she wasn’t quite getting it. 

“You are very smart, Caleb. Oh, here comes Yasha! Are you ready to watch this train wreck?” Jester sat down beside Caleb and proceeded to dance in her seat as Yasha did indeed head out onto the field. Beau was very clearly tense. They couldn’t quite hear either of them, but Beau wasn’t subtle in her anxious state. In fact, Caleb watched Beau nearly trip over herself as she tried to follow behind Yasha to make space for the cheerleaders heading out to the field for their own practice. 

Admittedly, Caleb didn’t spend much time around the sports side of the campus, and the few games he had been to, volleyball and football, he had only gone to so Jester wasn’t alone while she cheered for her friends. Very rarely had Caleb taken much notice of the cheerleaders, but his eyes darted over them for a split second. Long enough to spot a purple Tiefling. Caleb knew several purple Tieflings in his classes and had passed by a few just walking across campus, but his pulse sped up every time. Surely, this Tiefling also wasn’t Molly. Surely, he wasn’t going to see Molly again. 

But then the purple Tiefling looked up and met his gaze. There was a long pause where neither looked away. Then the Tiefling was approaching, then running, then leaping. His hands caught the edge of the stadium in front of where Jester and Caleb were sitting, and he pulled himself up and braced his elbows over the edge, hanging from the wall. The cheerleaders watched it happen but they didn’t seem surprised by the behavior. 

“Caleb, right?” The Tiefling, Molly, grinned up at Caleb and Caleb felt his ears burning even as he gave a short nod. 

“Hi, Molly.” 

“Molly from the masquerade?” Jester chimed in excitedly, and Molly grinned from his perch. 

“That would be me.” Molly moved his focus to Caleb. He opened his mouth to speak, seemed to think better of it, then closed his mouth again. After a moment of fidgeting as he continued hanging from the wall, Molly cleared his throat and tried again. “I just wanted to say that I looked for you. In my classes. But we don’t have any classes together. And I was afraid we might not meet again. But I recognized your coat just now.” Molly adjusted his grip on the wall, but Caleb was still a little too shocked to be of use just then. “I just wanted to ask… and you don’t have to agree, of course, but I wanted to ask if, maybe, we could exchange phone numbers? I’d like to get to know you.” 

From beside Caleb, Jester made a noise and grabbed Caleb’s arm to shake him. “Caleb, do it.” The loud whisper would have been laughable if Caleb wasn’t busy turning all manner of colors. Jester leaned in, however, and whispered much quieter into Caleb’s ear, “You deserve good things, Caleb. This is a good thing.” Jester let Caleb go and said nothing else. She may have been energetic, but she did truly care about Caleb and wanted what was best for him, and if saying no was what he wanted to do, Caleb was sure Jester would respect that decision. 

But Caleb didn’t want to say no. But he also didn’t know that he should say yes. Caleb swallowed the lump in his throat. It wasn’t about should or shouldn’t anymore. Caleb wanted to say yes, and, before he could think better of his decision, Caleb nodded. “ _Ja_ , I would like that very much.” 

The grin on Molly’s face could have lit up a dance floor. “Excellent! Now, could you possibly help me up? I think my grip is slipping.”


End file.
